Family Matters
by armybro8
Summary: Hiroki gets an invitation to go to his cousin's wedding, and Nowaki wants them to go. What will happen when Hiroki's family meets Nowaki?


**Cultural notes:**** (better I say these now because people may be a little confused throughout if not…)**

**If you didn't know, the Japanese always bow to each other when they meet. They do NOT shake hands like here in America (though they make an exception for foreigners). Hugs are sometimes exchanged like in America, but only with very close friends and family members. When exchanging bows, your bow should be as deep as the other person's. The depth of the bow represents how well you respect the other person or how well you know them. Very deep bows (where you bend until you are nearly doubled over) are used when you meet someone for the very first time or when you meet someone high in social ranking. Short bows (sometimes as shallow as a small head nod) are reserved for only those you know very well like family members and friends (like hugs). Exchanging a shallow bow with someone you have just met is considered rude. (yes, I just said bow like 40 times, but there's no other word for it)**

**Also note that, over there, they use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit—which is why I said "teens" rather than "fifties". (10 degrees Celsius = 50 degrees Fahrenheit)**

**Ore: Basically "me" in Japanese. "Ore" is a rough term used by males when saying "I". I struggled a little between using "ore-ni", "ore-o", and just plain "ore", because, **_**technically**_**, "ore-ni" and "ore-o" is me, and "ore" is just I...But I think that those two are used only when talking about direct and indirect objects, not just by itself; so I just settled with "ore". If I'm wrong, let me know so I can change it.**

**Tadaima: Said when returning home. ("I'm home")**

**Okaeri: Said to someone after they have returned home. ("Welcome back/home")**

**Shinkansen: Japanese bullet train.**

**Okaa-chan: Mother**

**Otou-san: Father**

**Oba-san: Aunt**

**O-bon: Japanese tradition where families visit old Buddhist temples to honor their ancestors.**

**About the wedding—there are about 3 different styles of weddings, but I chose the Western style wedding, which is incredibly similar to our weddings, because they copied it from us. I Googled what they do, and basically wrote off of that. So it should be pretty accurate. Also, my cousin (who was reading it as I wrote) told me I should include the wedding, because it interested her to see Hiroki's thoughts throughout—so I was like, okay, whatever, I'll add it—so it's very short, because that's not the focus of the fic, and it's…HET…**

**Lastly, about what I made family members call Hiroki—he said in the manga that only his parents and Akihiko call him Hiroki. Obviously, I made the cousins up myself, but what would they call him, if in the manga? I doubt they'd call him Kamijo, because…well, it just seems stupid in my opinion. They're all Kamijos; how would they know who was talking to whom? But I also didn't want to have them call him just Hiroki, because then it seems a little out of canon (the whole "only parents/Akihiko call me that" thing…). So, I decided that the cousins/aunts would call him "Hiroki" with a cutesy honorific like –chan or –kun...don't think that's much better, but I think it's better than just plain "Hiroki". Ah, so strange and confusing, this culture...**

**Note:**** ** indicates change of scene/time/setting**

**X X X**

"Nowaki, tadaima!" Hiroki called out, slamming the door shut behind him as he entered their apartment. He carelessly tossed his keys and the mail on the kitchen table, shrieking when large arms suddenly wrapped around his body. He blindly slapped at Nowaki's hands as warm lips pressed against his neck.

"Okaeri, Hiro-san! I missed you!" Nowaki exclaimed, holding Hiroki tighter against him as the older man fought to free himself.

"You scared the shit out of me, moron! Let go!" Hiroki aimlessly flailed his arms until Nowaki finally released him. Hiroki glared at him for a short moment before trudging off into the bedroom to change from his work attire into more comfortable loungewear.

While Hiroki changed, Nowaki picked up the mail and began sorting through it, making two different piles of mail; his and Hiroki's. The mass of mail rapidly dwindled down to one. Nowaki eyed the last letter's return address curiously. _Kamijo?_

Nowaki was tempted into opening it before Hiroki had the chance to throw it away (he had a terrible habit of doing that when he received mail from family members), but, maybe if he told Hiroki about the letter, he'd actually open it up and see what it was. Besides, he figured that if Hiroki caught him opening the letter without permission, he'd have a couple dozen bruises on his arms for the next week.

Hiroki emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, letting his hand drop briefly on Nowaki's hip as he passed by. Nowaki smiled and looked over to Hiroki, who was trying to concentrate on sifting through his pile of bills and junk advertisements.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki began, holding the letter between his thumb and index finger, "you got an invitation or letter of some sort from someone named Kamijo Amaye. Is she related to you?"

Hiroki froze, looking over to the white envelope settled between Nowaki's fingers. "Um, yes…she's my cousin. Did you open it?"

"No, Hiro-san, but I'd like you to read it rather than throwing it away like you do to most of the invitations you get from your family."

Hiroki glared at him. "I do no such thi—"

"I've seen them, and I know you throw them away. Just please read this one."

Hiroki snatched the envelope from Nowaki's hand, ripping open the back flap with the sharp letter opener. "Did they put you up to his or something?"

"No, of course not."

"Then why are you so interesting in me reading this stupid wedding invitation?"

Nowaki shuffled in behind him, glancing at the unopened paper. "How do you know it's a wedding invitation?"

"I don't, I'm guessing…" Hiroki muttered as he let the small slip of champagne colored paper fall open, the faint smell of vanilla rousing their senses. "…and I'm right."

After reading through the short letter, Hiroki quickly crumbled the paper up into a ball using his fist. "Can't go."

"Eh?" Nowaki took the invitation from Hiroki and gingerly smoothed it out. "Why not?"

"I'm busy."

Nowaki narrowed his eyes skeptically. "With what?"

"…Grading papers."

"But you're always 'too busy' to see your family…Can't we please go? Just this once?"

"No, and besides, who said anything about you going?"

"It said 'Kamijo Hiroki and _guest_'."

"Maybe I don't want to bring you!" Hiroki huffed, slightly annoyed. He knew how stubborn the brat could be when he wanted something bad enough, but he was _not_ winning this time!

Nowaki frowned, slightly hurt by that last statement, even if Hiroki was just kidding. Hiroki caught himself when Nowaki started making those damnable kicked puppy-dog eyes. "Look, I just really don't want to go."

"Please?" Nowaki pleaded, setting the paper down on the table and taking Hiroki's wrists in his hands.

"Why do you want to go so damn bad?" Hiroki asked, half-heartedly trying to shake himself free, with little avail. Nowaki tightened his grip.

"I want to meet your family."

"You've met them."

"Just your parents—I want to meet everyone else who grew up with you."

Hiroki sighed, twisting his wrists so that his hands were now being held in Nowaki's. He looked down at Nowaki's chest as he spoke, afraid his resolve would shatter if he were to look up into his eyes. "Why do you want to meet them? They're nothing special…"

"They're your family; of course they're special."

Hiroki shrugged, accidentally up into Nowaki's disappointed eyes—which proved to be a bad choice. The base split. "But the wedding is in Kyoto…"

"We can take the Shinkansen there; it's only about two hours that way."

"I don't think it runs at one in the morning…" Another crack; but even then Hiroki found himself unable to tear his gaze away from Nowaki's captivating, sad blue eyes.

"Then we can stay the night in the hotel they're having the reception at…" Nowaki's eyes brightened back up and he gave Hiroki's fingers an affectionate squeeze. "So does that mean we can go?"

Damn it, the final blow. Hiroki was never able to refuse Nowaki when he smiled like that; so blissful and innocent. "…as long as you pay for the hotel room."

Hiroki could have lost his eyesight from the brightness of Nowaki's smile. "Yes, Hiro-san…" Nowaki leaned forward and nuzzled Hiroki's neck with his nose, freeing his lover's hands and coiling his arms around his slender waist. "Thank you."

Eventually, Hiroki returned the embrace, sliding his hands down the large expanse of Nowaki's warm, sweater-clad back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad…

"S-so what's for dinner?" He asked a few minutes later, trying to divert the subject away from him, since he could feel Nowaki poking his upper thigh with _something_.

"I was thinking hot udon and soba…" Nowaki trailed off, leaning forward to kiss Hiroki's earlobe. "…but I think I want Hiro-san instead." He parted his lips around the soft skin to tug at it with his front teeth.

"…cheeky brat," Hiroki muttered, accidentally letting out a soft moan as Nowaki's tongue slid up his throat. "S-stop! It's too early for that, and I'm hungry!" Hiroki managed to muster up enough strength to roughly shove Nowaki away. He stalked over to the fridge with a stiff back, getting the necessary supplies for starting dinner.

**X X X**

In the morning, Hiroki was rudely awoken by his cell phone singing and vibrating on his nightstand. Since he was still mostly asleep, he reached over and slapped the top of it like it was his alarm clock, thinking it was the snooze button. When the music didn't stop he tried again, bringing his fist down on it harder and accidentally making it clatter to the floor, the incessant vibrating never ceasing.

Growling, Hiroki opened his eyes and reached down to pick it up, half of his upper body hanging off the bed as he flipped it open. He groaned in agony when the slight yet sudden movement caused pain to shoot throughout his lower back and clutched at it reflexively. It was a bad enough idea to wake him up in the morning, especially when it was his day off—it was an even worse idea to wake him up on his day off after a long night of sex.

_Okaa-chan (8:13): Did you get an invitation to Amaye-chan's wedding?_

Even though he was beyond annoyed that his mother had awoken him up by such an insignificant question, he quickly keyed back,

_Ore (8:14): Yes._

Hiroki was expecting an answer soon, so he didn't bother trying to roll back over and go to sleep. He decided he should probably get up anyway, since it was already past 8 o'clock.

Doing his best to ignore the dull pain that shot through him, Hiroki sat up; suddenly remembering it was Nowaki's day off as well. He quickly glanced off to his right, deflating when the spot beside him was made-up and completely empty. When Nowaki was home, he normally left the bed unmade. Hiroki mentally cursed that damn senpai of Nowaki's to hell as his phone vibrated again.

_Okaa-chan (8:17): Are you going? _

After quickly typing back another "_yes_" to his mother, Hiroki began scrolling through his contacts, selecting Nowaki and sending him a message just to see where he was.

_Ore (8:18):_ _Where are you?_

A moment later, his phone vibrated again. As Hiroki read the message, his blood began to boil, making his cheeks burn a deep scarlet.

_Okaa-chan (8:20): Really? Yay! Oh, and don't forget to bring your husband. I told a few of your aunts and cousins about him and they'd love to meet him. See u at the wedding!_

"Hiro-san, I got your text, I was just in the kitchen making—_**OW!**_" Just as Nowaki was walking through the door, Hiroki threw his phone full force at it, accidentally hitting his lover square in the chest.

Hiroki quickly scrambled over to the edge of the bed, kneeling as he reached out and touched Nowaki's shoulder, once again ignoring the pain in his back. "Sorry Nowaki, you weren't supposed to come through the door…" In the back of his mind, Hiroki felt strange apologizing to Nowaki for hitting him with something, since he normally did it several times daily without any regrets. He supposed it was that because this time it was a complete accident.

Nowaki bent down and picked up Hiroki's cell, making sure it still worked by pressing a button on the side. He gingerly rubbed the red welt the phone had left on his bare chest and handed the device over to Hiroki. "It's fine, Hiro-san...why did you throw your phone?"

Hiroki's expression turned sour again. "My damn mother makes me so mad! Ugh!" He turned slightly to hurl his phone at his pillow and crossed his arms, pouting almost childishly.

"What'd she do?" Nowaki asked, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Hiroki.

"She woke me up with a text, asking me if I was going to Amaye-chan's wedding. I said yes, and then she said she'd see me there and to bring my '_husband_' because she told my cousins and aunts about you and now they want to meet you!" When Nowaki started smiling, Hiroki ripped his arms apart to slap Nowaki's bicep. "Don't look so happy about it, brat! This is humiliating!"

"But I am, Hiro-san. I get to meet your family!" He tackled Hiroki back on the bed, pulling him into his arms and rubbing his smooth back. "And they want to meet me too. Will you introduce me as your husband?" Nowaki asked hopefully, pulling back to look at Hiroki's face.

"What the hell? No! We're not even married!" He pushed at Nowaki's chest, struggling to free himself from the man's firm embrace.

"Yeah, I know," Nowaki sighed, tightening his arms until Hiroki stayed still. When he finally stopped, Nowaki pulled out Hiroki's left hand and played with the thin gold band encasing his middle finger. "But our rings—"

"No! And if you ask again, I'm going to flush my stupid ring down the toilet."

Nowaki shut up at that, smiling as he busied himself with kissing at Hiroki's neck until breakfast was ready.

**X X X**

Two weeks later, the day of the wedding, Nowaki and Hiroki left the apartment earlier than what was needed just to make sure they got to the station and hotel in plenty of time.

Once at the train station, they both had a large cup of coffee while they waited outside, hoping to warm themselves up. It was below freezing outside, and Hiroki wasn't wearing a heavy enough jacket—just a thin navy zip-up.

"Dammit, it's cold!" Hiroki complained, grabbing Nowaki's free arm and putting it around him, clutching Nowaki's waist. He really didn't care if anyone saw—the air was icy and the wind wasn't helping, and Nowaki was warm. If people had a problem with the two of them, they could screw off.

"You should have worn a heavier jacket; the weathermen said it was supposed to be cold today." Nowaki happily held Hiroki tighter against him, kissing the top of the brunet's soft head.

"But they never tell the weather right! Last week they said it was supposed to snow, and it was in the teens all week!"

Nowaki didn't say anything, just kissed him again before draining the last of his coffee and skillfully tossing the cup into the trashcan sitting several feet away.

The train arrived around ten minutes later and they boarded without a problem. When they finally found their seats (they opted to upgrade to their own single cabin for a small fee, because they needed a little extra room for their dress suits and overnight bags) and were settled inside, Nowaki started bombarding Hiroki with questions about his family.

"Who's going to be there?" he asked.

"Why should I know? …Probably my dad's sisters and brother, most of my cousins, and maybe my grandparents. And a whole bunch of my cousin's friends I don't know."

"How old is Amaye-san?"

Hiroki cocked one eyebrow and looked up, thinking about it. "Umm…I think she's 26."

"Who is she?"

"My uncle's daughter—on my dad's side, obviously; she's also a Kamijo."

"Do you like her?"

"She's one of my closer cousins…"

Nowaki nodded, looking down at his hands. "I'm a little nervous," he admitted.

"Why? It's just a wedding, no big deal." Hiroki looked off to his right to watch the skyscrapers roll by, soon being replaced by expansive green hills and sparkling stone riverbeds.

"But I want to impress them. I don't want them to think I'm bad for you or that I'm incompetent." Nowaki leaned forward, placing his chin on both of his fists as he stared off, musing about what may happen when he meets the Kamijos.

Hiroki looked over to Nowaki. "Don't worry about it. You've already met my parents, and they like you—that's what really matters. It's not like I see my cousins or aunts and uncles that often anyway…"

Nowaki met Hiroki's gaze, smiling. "Yeah, I guess." He leaned back and took Hiroki's left hand, twining their fingers.

Hiroki huffed and turned to look out the window again, a blush gracing his cheeks. "You're lucky there's no one in here, otherwise I'd kill you for that."

"Ah, but that's why we got a cabin to ourselves, right?"

Hiroki shrugged, and Nowaki gave his fingers an affectionate squeeze. "So your parents will be there?"

"Yeah, unfortunately…"

"Why is it unfortunate? I like your parents."

"I think they may like you more than they like me…"

Nowaki smiled. "Don't say that, Hiro-san, you know they love you."

Hiroki regarded Nowaki with another shrug.

"How many cousins do you have?"

"Five, four girls and one guy."

"What are their names?"

"Ah…Kamijo Kimi, Kamijo Amaye, Inoue Rei, Inoue Riko, and Watanabe Hideki."

"Are you the oldest?"

"I'm older than all of the girls, but Hideki is two years older than me."

Nowaki nodded, thinking about more questions to ask. "Do any of them have children?"

"Why are you so interested about them? I told you before, they're nothing special…"

"They're your family, they saw you grow up. And I want to know all about you."

Unsure of what to say to that, Hiroki answered his earlier question. "Hideki has a baby girl…but all the girls are unmarried, so no. They're all still in their early-mid twenties."

Nowaki nodded and decided to give Hiroki a break from questions for a while, and the train rolled on.

**X X X**

Once they were situated inside their suite, they lounged around the room for awhile before it was time for them to meet Hiroki's parents outside to go to the ceremony.

When they walked out of the elevator, Nowaki fiddled with his tie some more, and Hiroki immediately spotted his mother sitting on one of the lobby couches.

"Ah, Hiro-chaaan!" Kasumi gushed, walking over and hugging her son. "You look so handsome!" She smiled, then released him and moved over to Nowaki. "Nowaki-kun, you look handsome, too!" They also exchanged a brief hug before moving along the white corridors of the hotel, searching for the place of the wedding.

The family eventually arrived at the modern Muji chapel, nestled in the rear corner of the grand hotel. The chairs in the chapel were mostly filled now, and they took their seats as assigned; filing in the short row of 6 as Nowaki, Hiroki, Kasumi, and Ichiro.

"It's so pretty in here," Nowaki commented, gazing around at the plethora of elaborate organization of white ornaments and flowers.

"Dork," Hiroki muttered under his breath before turning to his mother. "So when's this thing supposed to start?"

Kasumi turned away from talking to her husband for a short moment. "Be patient, Hiro-chan, we just got here. It'll start soon."

Hiroki sighed, slumping back in his chair as more and more of his relatives, along with other people he'd never met before, filed into the church. He crossed his arms and Nowaki turned to him, smiling widely as he leaned in and whispered,

"I love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki flushed, staring down the back of the white chair in front of him. "Moron…"

Grin never hitching, Nowaki leaned to the side and placed his arm around the back of Hiroki's chair. Hiroki didn't even realize what Nowaki was doing until he felt a large, warm hand brush over his left shoulder. He grumbled something incoherent but let the younger man have this one.

Ten or so minutes later, the wedding began. The priest gave a brief opening introduction, and then announced the bride's entrance. A pipe organ softly began playing the wedding march while the doors at the back of the room opened, presenting the bride and her parents. Everyone turned their heads to watch as Kamijo Amaye, dressed in a flawless, lacy white gown, slowly sauntered down the long chapel aisle, which was littered with vibrant red rose petals, her father's and hers' arms linked together.

The procession ended when the father and daughter reached the end of the lane. Amaye kissed her father on the cheek, as he did her (at which point Hiroki rolled his eyes in slight disgust), and then Amaye's fiancé came across and bowed deeply to his future father-in-law. He returned the bow, and that was where Hiroki's uncle handed off Amaye to her soon-to-be husband.

Her father took his seat, and the bride and groom walked back up to the priest to begin the ceremony.

A traditional Japanese hymn opened the service, a short biblical scripture followed, and then there was a prayer about the sanctity of the marital vows. There was a mixture of Japanese and English while the readings were being said.

'_So lame so lame so lame'_ was Hiroki's exact thought process as his cousin and her now husband cemented their everlasting vows and began exchanging rings.

At that point, Nowaki leaned over and smiled, and Hiroki had a hunch about what he wanted. The stupid sap got all horny and romantic just because they were at a wedding and now he wanted a little G-rated make-out session. Well, over his dead body.

"No," Hiroki hissed firmly, directing his attention back to the stupid ceremony.

Nowaki just shuffled a tad closer, their warm thighs touching now. He also started focusing on the ceremony once again.

Now, the groom was lifting up Amaye's thin netting veil, revealing her flustered porcelain face. They smiled at each other, and the priest stated, "You may now kiss the bride." In which they did, sealing their contract to spend the rest of their lives together.

The entire chapel burst into congratulatory applause, except for Hiroki, who rolled his eyes and feigned a gagging face to Nowaki. Nowaki just chuckled and continued clapping.

The ceremony finally concluded with one last hymn and a benediction.

**X X X**

It wasn't the wedding that Hiroki had been dreading the most (though he could barely stand to watch two idiots pledge their stupid love for each other in front of 100 other people without gagging)—no, Hiroki was definitely dreading going to the reception over everything. While Nowaki thought that that was going to be the best, most exciting (albeit slightly nerve-racking) part, Hiroki felt it would be the worst, mostly because he knew that, whenever there wasn't some lame reception tradition going on, his aunts and cousins would be bugging him about Nowaki.

They managed to find their seats easily—unfortunately being placed at the table as his parents, though they mainly ignored him (thankfully) for the first part of the evening by talking to his aunt and uncle, who also sat at their table.

Only seven people were at a table, and six of the seats were already full, so Hiroki quickly glanced around just to see who else was sitting with them. He groaned when he saw the name.

"Hiro-san, would you like some—"

"Hiroki-chan!"

In one synchronized move, both Nowaki and Hiroki turned to see a young, pale brunette woman walking their way in a beautiful, elegant purple kimono. She smiled and waved at Hiroki, who sighed in response.

"Ah, Kimi-chan…" He murmured, bowing towards her when she stopped in front of them. She bowed in return and then took her seat on the other side of Hiroki.

"So how are you, Hiroki-chan? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I'm doing well…you?"

"Fine, thanks."

The two cousins engaged in a couple minutes of amiable small-talk, catching up. Nowaki wasn't doing very well in hiding his discomfort of not knowing who Hiroki was talking so easily to, so he settled for looking down at his hands and picking at his short finger nails.

After a few minutes, Kimi finally noticed the dejected-looking, ebony-haired man sitting beside Hiroki.

"I'm so sorry, I'm very rude. Who's this, Hiroki-chan?" she asked, gesturing to Nowaki and smiling at him.

"R-right…umm, Kimi-chan, this is Kusama Nowaki…" he briefly considered saying roommate, just incase word had never gotten around to her. But if he had said roommate, he was sure that his mother would correct him sooner or later that night. "…m-my boyfriend," he mumbled, then turned his head and coughed to try to hide the faint blush that polished his cheeks.

Kimi's eyes widened before she smiled again, bowing towards Nowaki. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kusama-san. I'm Kamijo Kimi, Hiroki-chan's cousin."

Smiling, Nowaki bowed back. "Nice to meet you, too, Kamijo-san."

Kimi nodded, and then glanced back and forth between the two for a moment.

As Kimi contemplated them, Hiroki flushed and leaned back in his chair. "What's wrong?"

She shrugged. "Ah, nothing. You two just look cute together, you know."

Nowaki grinned, placing a hand on Hiroki shoulder, though it was almost immediately brushed off as Hiroki blushed harder.

"So, Nowaki-san—may I call you that?" When Nowaki nodded, she continued, "—how do you put up with Hiroki-chan's tantrums?"

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!"

Nowaki ignored him though. He leaned forward, whispering to her, "Well, Hiro-san just likes to put up a big fuss because he doesn't know how else to react. It's adorable."

She giggled, and Hiroki glared at him. "Shut up, I'm not adorable! I'm 29 years old!"

"But you are, Hiro-san."

"_I am not!_"

"You guys fight like an old married couple," Kimi observed. "How long have you two been together? Oba-san never told me, but she called him your husband, so I'm assuming a while."

"Aah, s-sort of…w-we just had our seventh anniversary about t-two weeks ago," Hiroki stammered.

"Aww, really? How cute." Her previously contented expression took a sudden, drastic change, morphing into a hard glare that Nowaki couldn't help but compare to Hiroki's. "But I'm also really pissed off at you! I mean, _seven years_, Hiroki-chan! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just told my parents like three months ago," Hiroki huffed, glowering right back at her.

"I know, but they're your parents. You could have at least told me!"

"It's not like you ever asked about a lover…" he muttered.

Softening her stare and sighing, Kimi leaned forward and placed a hand on the table. "Oh, please, it was obvious to everyone that you had one. You don't know how patient we've been!"

Unsure of how to reply, Hiroki allowed her to talk.

"I guess I first noticed it…mm…well, about seven years ago. We didn't see you as often, because you were 'busy', but when we saw you, there was like, this spark in your eyes that we'd never seen before. It was really obvious you were in love."

Hearing Kimi's explanation of how Hiroki acted when he wasn't around made thrilled Nowaki. So, he wasn't seeing things, there really was that glimmer in Hiroki's eyes—a shine he was able to put there with just a few simple words. Nowaki felt the incredible urge to reach over and pull the older man into his arms, but he knew it was definitely better to refrain, for it would have a painful ending.

"Oh, and there was this other time at the family o-bon a couple months ago. We were eating and talking, and then you got a text message on your phone. You looked annoyed when you checked it, but then you opened it and saw the name, your eyes got all bright and you smiled. And I swear I'd never seen anyone in my entire life look so happy about something as insignificant as a little text message."

"Heh," Hiroki laughed, feeling mildly awkward. "Well, y-you know how it is…"

Nowaki leaned towards Hiroki's ear. "I love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki's back stiffened. "Why do you always have to say that?" he hissed.

"Because it's so, so true," Nowaki grinned.

"…I do, too," Hiroki whispered after making sure Kimi was focused on something else. "Now, will you go get me some wine, please?"

**X X X**

Rei poked her sister in the arm. "Hey," she whispered. "Look over there, that guy is so hot!" She discreetly gestured in the direction of a tall, dark-haired man walking towards the open bar.

"Wow." Riko's cinnamon eyes widened as her gaze fell on his gentle, smiling face. "He is hot!"

"He's probably our age, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, he _can_ drink, so maybe, but he's so tall! Just because of that I'd say he looks more like 24 or 25. I wonder who he's here with…"

"Not sure," Rei replied. "With our luck, probably a wife. Does he have a ring?"

Riko squinted, trying to make out the minor details of the man's large hands. "Just around his middle finger," she observed.

The ebony-haired man thanked the bartender for his two drinks before heading back over to the table Hiroki was sitting at, smiling as he sat down next to the older man and handed him one of the glasses.

Both girls' mouths dropped. "What? He's here with Hiroki-kun?"

"Maybe he just knows him," Riko said, hoping that he wasn't Hiroki's supposed 'husband'.

"I doubt that," Rei muttered. "That's probably Hiroki-kun's 'husband', like oba-san said." When she said 'husband', she crooked her two fingers in an 'air quotes' gesture.

"I hope not!" Riko stole another swift glimpse of Nowaki. "…No, I don't think so. He's too cute to be gay!"

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he is. Look at how he's staring at Hiroki-kun…" They both took a moment to look over and observe the way Nowaki acted around Hiroki. Right now, they were chatting pleasantly; though the smallest traces of a grin lingered on both sets of lips, even as their conversation died and they were left to gaze at each other.

"Shit," they both cursed under their breath.

…On the other end of this conversation...

Nowaki glanced over to his left out of the corner of his eye. "Hiro-san," he whispered. "There are two brunette girls staring at me over there. Are they related to you?"

"Where?" Hiroki asked, turning in his chair to look behind him.

Nowaki subtly moved his head in their direction, and Hiroki quickly found them and met their gaze. He stared them down, making them both flush and look off in another direction, trying to look innocent.

"That's Riko-chan and Rei-chan—they're my twin cousins."

Nowaki nodded, eyes looking off in the direction of the girls again. "Are you close to them?"

"Not as close as Kimi-chan or Amaye-chan. I don't seem them as often, but we're all pretty close, I guess…"

"Now I'm pretty sure it's his husband!" Rei hissed out when she felt it was safe to move and speak again.

"I think you should go ask him."

"Why me? You should come too, you're the curious one!"

"But Hiroki-kun is intimidating! He glares at you for no reason—like he is right now!"

"He has a reason…you're staring at his husband," Rei huffed.

"You're staring, too!"

"Yes, but _I'm_ not having dirty fantasies about him…"

"What? Shut up, I'm not doing that!" Riko complained, slapping her sister across the forearm.

"Anyway…if I'm going to ask him, you're coming with me."

Riko sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "Fine, fine, let's just go before the receptions over."

The twins stood up and walked over to the two lovers. Riko got in back and pushed her sister out in front, as if to guard herself from Hiroki's venomous glare.

"Hiro-san, would you like som—"

"Hiroki-kuuun!"

Hiroki put a hand over his eyes. "Don't tell me those two are walking over here…"

Nowaki turned to see. "They are, Hiro-san," he affirmed, watching as the two identical twins in orange and red kimonos come towards them.

He uncovered his eyes. "They're so annoying!" he hissed, shooting his famous demon glare at the girls as they stopped in front of them.

"Hello, Hiroki-kun. Long time no see," Rei stated, smiling at him.

"Rei-chan, Riko-chan…how are you?"

"Well," they stated in unison.

"Who's this?" Riko asked, blushing as she smiled at the gorgeous dark-haired man on her right.

Hiroki noticed the blush and glared harder at her, and then gawked when Nowaki smiled back. "I'm—"

"He's nobody! Go away!" Hiroki snapped, cutting Nowaki off.

Riko crossed her arms, becoming annoyed. "How rude, Hiroki-kun, you don't interrupt people! He was just—"

"I can interrupt who I want—now leave!" Hiroki shouted.

Nowaki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Hiro-san…and be nice," he said, soothingly, before turning and smiling at the twins again. "I'm sorry Hiro-san is so rude…my name is Kusama Nowaki, it's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure, Kusama-san," the girls said in unison once again.

"I'm Inoue Rei, and this is my twin sister, Inoue Riko. We're Hiroki-kun's cousins."

"Are you Hiroki-kun's husband?" Riko asked, suddenly piping up.

Nowaki and Hiroki both flushed from head to toe with fresh embarrassment; though Hiroki's was more rage than anything else. Nowaki smiled sheepishly while Hiroki steamed.

"What the hell are you asking? He isn't my damn husband!" Hiroki yelled, mentally cursing at himself for ever telling his parents about Nowaki and him in the first place.

"Well, that's what your mother referred to him as. He is your boyfriend, though, right?"

Doing his best to control himself from destroying the things around him, like the table and chair, Hiroki angrily clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms. "…yes," he grumbled, staring down at his knees.

The girls giggled. "How cute! Nice catch, Hiroki-kun, he's very cute," Rei complimented.

Nowaki smiled again and Hiroki growled, as if protecting Nowaki from a predator.

"So, according to oba-san, you two live together?"

"That's none—"

"Yes, we do," Nowaki beamed, grabbing Hiroki's hand. Hiroki quickly shook it off and glowered at him.

"Quit it, brat! And are you two done yet?" he asked, channeling his rage toward his cousins once again.

"Hiro-san, don't be so mean to them," Nowaki scolded, though his tone was gentle as always. "They can stay as long as they want."

Hiroki _hmph_ed then took a large swig of his wine and leaned back in his wooden chair, causing it to groan in protest.

"Actually, we were just curious on whether you and Hiroki-kun were together or not." They both offered a deep bow. "Goodbye, and thank you," Rei said quickly before they both turned and scurried off.

Once they were out of earshot, Nowaki turned towards Hiroki. "Why don't you like your cousins?"

"Because they do shit like that!" he hissed.

"Like what?"

"They ask embarrassing questions like if you're my stupid husband or something!"

Nowaki frowned, looking dejected. "Are you embarrassed to be here with me?"

Hiroki squeezed his eyes shut, putting a hand up in front of Nowaki's face. "Don't make that kicked puppy face with me again! You know what I meant!"

Nowaki let out a depressed sigh, looking at the ground while fiddling with the ring on his middle finger.

Hiroki opened his eyes and took Nowaki's chin in his hand, pulling their faces close together and forcing the younger man into looking at him. "Look, I'm not embarrassed, you know that. But you know how I am with public affection and crap. It just feels weird, having my family members know…about…that."

Nowaki smiled. "I love you, Hiro-san." He reached up and layered his hand over Hiroki's, which was still holding his chin.

"Yeah, yeah, I know…can you get me another drink? If I'm going to get through the rest of this night, I'm going to need to be hammered."

Nowaki nodded and let their hands drop. He got up a moment later, dutifully retrieving more alcohol for his lover.

The pop song that had previously been jamming from the speakers gradually faded and a slow ballet began, filling the room with a considerably warmer, more romantic mood. Couples were urged to abandon their comfortable seats and dance with their significant other. Hiroki watched one by one as his aunts and uncles retreated from their tables and began dancing with each other, along with some of his cousin's new family and even his parents.

When Nowaki returned, Hiroki was staring out at the dance floor. As Nowaki watched him, he swore Hiroki's gaze was almost longing, like he wanted to be out there as well. He quickly took his seat again next to Hiroki and asked, "Will you dance with me, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki turned back around abruptly, pretending he wasn't just looking out at the dancers. "I can't dance."

"It's easy, Hiro-san." He held out his hand. "Come on, I'll show you."

"Let me rephrase that—I _don't_ dance."

Nowaki frowned, but kept his wrist extended. "Please, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki glanced around the room skeptically. "If there weren't all these people around, I'd say _maybe_, but even then—"

Nowaki dropped his arm, slightly frustrated. "Didn't you just say that you weren't embarrassed to be here with me, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki shrunk back in his chair a little, crossing his arms. "Yeah, but I don't see—"

"You're acting like you are."

"…I'm not."

"Then dance with me, Hiro-san," Nowaki pleaded.

Hiroki turned his head to glance over at the dance floor again. "You don't understand…I'm not embarrassed to be with _you_. But if I go out there and dance, I'll embarrass myself doing so, and probably you, too. _I can't dance._"

"All you do is sway back and forth, Hiro-san; I can show you how…" He extended his hand again. "Please?" He gave Hiroki that innocent, guileless smile that he knew the older man could never refuse.

Hiroki sighed, annoyed, uncrossing his arms and placing his hand in Nowaki's. Nowaki's smile widened until the corners nearly touched his ears and he stood up, inadvertently pulling Hiroki up as well. With their hands still clasped together, he gracefully led Hiroki out to an empty spot on the white linoleum floor.

"Wait," Hiroki began as they took their place. "Who leads? Normally the guy leads…but …" He glanced around the room quickly, just checking to see if anyone was staring at them. No one yet.

Nowaki pursed his lips. "Ah, well, I figured that since I'm the lead in be—" He was cut off as Hiroki bonked him on top of the head with his fist.

"Shut up!" he hissed. "Don't say embarrassing things!"

Nowaki rubbed the crown of his head gingerly, grimacing a little as he drew his fingers over the small bump. Hiroki's punches really hurt sometimes. "Would Hiro-san like to lead, then?"

A faint blush stained Hiroki's pale cheekbones as he glanced somewhere off to his left. "…no," he grumbled in a barely audible voice.

Nowaki smiled and took Hiroki's wrists, raising them up and placing his hands on both sides of his neck. Hiroki looked back up into his eyes as Nowaki placed one hand on the small of his back, while the other rested just a little bit higher up, about halfway up his spine. Nowaki slowly began swaying them to the left, then the right, then back to the left with the beat of the music.

All the while, Hiroki couldn't really help but think how stupid he probably looked. He was sure that all of his stupid aunts and cousins were giggling and making fun of him—but, right now, he honestly couldn't bring himself to care; not while Nowaki was gazing at him so lovingly and intently, like there was no other thing in the entire universe except for him, and him alone.

Hiroki closed his eyes and leaned in closer to rest his forehead on Nowaki's shoulder while Nowaki managed to smoothly twist them in a graceful circle. Nowaki smiled again, resting his cheek on the brunet's head after placing a soft kiss on his warm scalp. He gently rubbed at his lover's back while Hiroki stroked the back of his neck with his fingertips, both of them letting out a harmonized sigh of complete happiness. Nowaki really couldn't imagine a moment better than this, other than making love with Hiroki. Their bodies moving together with the music while holding onto each other like this; it was way better than Nowaki had ever imagined dancing with Hiroki would be.

Just to see if Hiroki would allow it (which he sincerely doubted, but decided to try anyway), Nowaki slid the hand that was resting on the small of Hiroki's back lower, just brushing the top of his belt. When Hiroki didn't say anything, Nowaki let his fingers creep down further, pressing against the swell of Hiroki's ass and squeezing gently.

Startled by his lover's inappropriate gesture, Hiroki quickly reached one arm back and pulled Nowaki's hand back up to the safe spot on his back. He punched him across the arm before placing his hand back on Nowaki's neck. "Perv," he muttered, unsure if Nowaki had even heard it or not.

The song droned on, slowly nearing its end. Hiroki was entirely complacent just swaying with Nowaki while they held onto each other, until he felt something uncomfortable and hard protrude from Nowaki's lower abdomen.

"Hey!" Hiroki hissed. "Now's not a good time to get hard!"

Nowaki chuckled, his warm breath tickling the top of Hiroki's hair. "Sorry, Hiro-san, but I just can't help it…you just feel so good next to me."

"Ugh, you really are a pervert," Hiroki mumbled.

"Will you help me get rid of it?"

"What? Hell no! We're in public!"

"Not out here, of course…somewhere private, like our room."

"The receptions not over yet…if we go up to our room then come back down ten minutes later all flushed and mussed up, we'll look weird and suspicious."

"Then we can go to the bathroom," Nowaki suggested.

"Gross!"

Sighing, Nowaki gave it one last shot. "What about the coat closet we saw on the way here?"

Hiroki didn't say anything in response; just pulled back a little so he could see Nowaki's face. As the piano slowly faded, Nowaki closed his eyes and leaned in; capturing Hiroki's lips in a very soft, chaste kiss. Hiroki was slightly shocked by the contact, but wasn't feeling up to pulling away. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side fractionally, at first seeming to pull away, but the new angle actually managed to deepen the kiss.

The song ended completely, changing up to a more upbeat rock song. They pulled away from each other, Nowaki smiling down at Hiroki, whose cheeks were now dusted a beautiful shade of rosy pink just from the simple kiss. The site of a flushing Hiroki was adorable as always and actually made him a little bit harder.

"Umm, thanks for the, err, dance…Nowaki," Hiroki managed to say a moment later when they'd completely pulled away from each other, standing about a foot apart.

Nowaki smiled, grabbing Hiroki's hand again. "Thank _you_, Hiro-san." And suddenly, Hiroki found himself being roughly pulled away from the dance floor, weaving through all the tables in the room before exiting the large ballroom.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"The coat closet, remember?" Nowaki reminded, and there was a hint of devilish naughtiness in his voice. Hiroki shivered.

They arrived at the coat closet in the hallway a minute later. To make sure there was nobody around, Nowaki glanced to the left, then the right, before quietly opening the large white door and shoving Hiroki inside. He stepped inside a fraction of a second later, shutting the door quickly behind them.

Hiroki had accidentally tumbled over a fallen coat and was now sprawled out on the floor. "Hey, you bastard! Watch it!"

Nowaki smiled again, though it was impossible to see it in the darkness. "Sorry, Hiro-san, but you'll need to be on the ground anyway."

Cheeks still aflame, Hiroki huffed, slowly crawling over to Nowaki on his hands and knees. When he reached him, Hiroki sat back on his heels and waited while Nowaki undid his zipper and belt. He'd also backed up against the wall for later support.

When Nowaki had finished, Hiroki shoved Nowaki's slacks and boxers down just enough to expose Nowaki's pink erection. He could see a rough outline of it from his eyes adjusting to the blackness, but that was the extent of it.

With one hand gripping the base and the other on Nowaki's hip, Hiroki stuck his tongue out, licking the head timidly before taking most of Nowaki's cock into his mouth.

Nowaki grunted as he was taken into Hiroki's perfect, warm mouth. Hiroki drew back to suck the head momentarily, his wicked tongue teasing the sensitive nerves beneath the crown. He then took Nowaki in as far as he could in one smooth move while Nowaki's large, warm hands threaded through his hair, making him shiver. Whenever Nowaki ran his fingers through his hair, it sent small sparks of pleasure shooting down his spine. Though he'd never voice it aloud, Hiroki was pretty sure Nowaki knew how much he enjoyed it, because Nowaki did it without hesitation every time.

"Hiro-san…you're so amazing," Nowaki grunted, accidentally thrusting forward into Hiroki's sweet wet heaven.

"Mmph!" Hiroki had choked a little on Nowaki's last thrust, so he dug his fingernails into the bare flesh on Nowaki's hip hard, warning him not to do that again.

After several minutes of quick, deep bobbing, the hand Hiroki had placed on Nowaki's waist moved, coming down between his lover's legs and fondling his balls as he sucked.

"Ah, Hiro-san!" Nowaki moaned again, this time a little too loudly, so he retracted one hand from Hiroki's head and bit down on his fist to muffle his voice. Nowaki's neck lolled back in complete ecstasy, hitting the wall behind him with a low thump.

Hiroki stroked the sensitive flesh faster, bringing Nowaki dangerously close to climax. Since there wasn't anything else for him to do, Hiroki kept his mouth on him as Nowaki released into his mouth with a deep grunt.

After swallowing the onslaught of bitter white liquid, Hiroki pulled away and tugged Nowaki's underwear back up to his hips, covering him once again. Using the wall behind him as support like intended, Nowaki slowly slid down it to join Hiroki on the floor.

"Mm, Hiro-san…" Nowaki reached over and pulled Hiroki to him. "You're amazing." He kissed the top of his brunet head.

"Mm…" Hiroki nodded, trying not to make it too obvious of how he leaned back into Nowaki for a long moment of relaxed, comfortable silence.

"Do you want a turn, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, sliding a hand down and palming the beginning stage of Hiroki's erection.

"Nnn!" Hiroki hunched forward quickly, inadvertently trapping Nowaki's hand in his crotch. "No, Nowaki!" Hiroki cried as Nowaki roughly gripped him through the restrictive material of his black slacks.

"Hiro-san doesn't want a turn? But you're already so hard," Nowaki teasingly breathed into Hiroki's ear, groping him harder.

"N-no! Stop!" He tried scrambling away, but Nowaki held him tight.

"But Hiro-san, you don't want to walk out with a hard-on, do you?" Nowaki leaned forward and kissed at Hiroki's neck, running his tongue along the side of his throat.

"Well unlike your perverted ass, I can pretty much will it away! So get offa me!" Hiroki finally managed to shove the younger man away.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to do it twice tonight, then!"

"Whatever," Hiroki mumbled, secretly a little bit excited.

Nowaki chuckled in response, blindly leaning over and giving Hiroki a soft kiss on the lips, tongues meeting timidly.

"Eww, you're gross," Hiroki accused after they'd parted. "I just had your dick in my mouth and now you're kissing all over it."

"Doesn't matter," Nowaki responded, leaning in for another brief kiss.

"Uh, s-so, anyway…" Hiroki stuttered, still flushed. "I'll go out first and act like I'm going to the bathroom. I need to go to there anyway to wash my hands, so you come out in a minute and go straight back to the table, okay? Then we won't look suspicious."

Nowaki nodded, watching Hiroki try to stand up—which proved to be harder than expected, since he'd evidently forgotten the fact that a million coats were hanging up above his head. He eventually made it, though, then pressed the door just enough to peek his head through.

After affirming nobody was looking, he quickly snuck out, soothing out his sleek black suit as best he could when he was out and the door was shut tightly behind him. He walked in the direction of the bathroom, and a moment later Nowaki repeated his actions; but headed in the opposite direction, back towards the ballroom.

Five or so minutes later, they were reunited at their table, where Nowaki was happily chattering with Hiroki's parents. Hiroki glared and flushed when he thought about what they were more than likely discussing—him.

"Hiro-chan!" his mother called, waving at him and smiling. Fake smile ready, Hiroki sat back down next to Nowaki.

"Ah, h-hey, obaa-chan, otou-san," he stammered. "Where'd you go earlier?"

"Just to talk to your aunts."

"I figured…so would you mind going back over there?" Hiroki asked.

"So cold, Hiro-chan! We just wanted to talk with you two some more, since you never want to come and visit."

"With reason…" Hiroki grumbled.

"So how's work, Nowaki-kun?" Ichiro asked Nowaki, who smiled and eagerly answered.

"I got pictures of you two dancing, Hiro-chan," Kasumi told Hiroki.

"What? Why! But, I saw you two dancing, too!"

"Well once I saw you two starting to dance, I had to go and take a few pictures, since I doubt I'd ever see that again. You two looked so cute together!"

That revelation managed to direct Nowaki's attention away from Ichiro's small talk. "May I see, Kasumi-san?" he asked, eyes widening along with his smile as Kasumi handed over her pink digital camera.

"No, no!" Hiroki yelled, grabbing the device away from his lover. "I'm deleting those pictures!" He turned the thing on and started going through the memory card.

Just as he was about to click erase for the first picture, the camera was snatched back. "Don't you dare, Hiroki! These pictures are adorable!" Kasumi scolded using Hiroki's full name, taking her seat back on the other side of Nowaki, where the three went through the digital photos.

"Erg…" Hiroki grumbled, putting his elbows on the table and running his fingers through his hair furiously.

"Oh, Hiro-san! We have to put these in our photo album, they're so good!"

"The hell we will!"

"Want to see them?" Nowaki asked in one of his most innocent voices.

Figuring there was no way he was going to be able to talk Nowaki out of it, Hiroki nodded slowly. Nowaki turned to him and set the picture view to slide show. There was only five of them, first one being where Nowaki put Hiroki's arms around his neck. The next was of them mid-dance, when Hiroki had put his head on Nowaki's shoulder, and unfortunately, his mother had also managed to capture Nowaki's hand on Hiroki's ass.

"Delete that one!" Hiroki shrieked, flushing a scarlet. He'd hoped nobody had seen that!

"But there's only five pictures of us dancing, and that's one of the best ones," Nowaki said, and then the screen flipped to the next picture as if nothing was wrong with the previous one.

"Bastard," Hiroki grumbled so low that only he could hear it.

The next two were just of them dancing again, thankfully without Nowaki's hand on his ass, and the last one was of them kissing at the end of the song.

"Delete that one, too!"

"But that's the best one!"

"It's cute, Hiro-chan!"

Ichiro didn't say anything about that one; just took another sip of his wine and looked off to his left, pretending to be focused on something else.

"I hate you two," Hiroki muttered, rubbing his temples and leaning back in his chair.

Kasumi turned her camera back off after promising Nowaki she'd send him the pictures as soon as she could and slipped it into her purse.

"Do you know if anyone else saw us dancing?" Hiroki dared to ask.

"Oh, yes, that was the talk of your aunts and cousins for a full half-hour!"

"…What'd they say?"

"Well, your aunts commented on how cute you two looked together, and your cousins talked about how hot _'Nowaki-sama'_ was, how nice he was, how he could manage to put up with you for more than seven years, how they thought—"

"What the hell! I'm going to kill them!" Hiroki was just standing up when Nowaki's hands caught his shoulders and forced him back down.

"It's alright, Hiro-san, don't worry about it."

"They called you hot, though! Doesn't that bother you?"

Nowaki shrugged. "It obviously bothers you more than me," he said, lips curling up into a smug grin.

"Pfft, it doesn't bother me at all! Where are you getting that from?" He flushed and plucked Nowaki's hands from his shoulders.

"You're so cute, Hiro-san."

"Shut up! Don't say embarrassing things like that, my parents are right here!"

"Don't mind us, Hiro-chan."

"Ugh…" Hiroki groaned. Everyone was out to get him.

**X X X**

The reception finally came to an end two hours after it began, leaving Hiroki and Nowaki to retreat back to their own suite.

But before that, they had to go through the stupid procedure of uncomfortable goodbyes.

"I'll call you when we get home, Hiro-chan," his mother promised while they hugged.

"No, call me in the morning or something, you won't get home until like midnight. We'll be asleep!" He insisted, though in the back of his mind, Hiroki had the very strong feeling he would definitely be wide awake.

After she and Nowaki had exchanged hugs, they hugged his father, and managed to sneak away and get out of hugging any of his aunts or cousins.

They arrived at the elevator and pressed the up button, watching it illuminate.

"That was really fun, Hiro-san."

"Mm, it wasn't so bad, I guess…"

"Do you think your family liked me?"

"Pfft, like I said about my parents—they like you more than they like me."

The elevator pinged and the silver doors slowly slid apart, inviting them into the empty shaft.

"You know that's not true, Hiro-san."

"It is! Didn't you hear what my mom said my cousins were saying? _'Nowaki-sama is so hot, he's so nice, how does Nowaki-sama manage to put up with Hiroki-kun's tantrums?'_ Ugh, they make me sick."

Nowaki managed to stifle his smile and decided not to say anything, fearing that he'd spend the night on the hotel couch if he didn't.

When they eventually made it back into their suite, they began divesting themselves of their annoying suits.

"Nowaki, what time is it?" Hiroki asked sometime later, beginning to dress into his sleepwear.

"It's 10 o'clock, Hiro-san," Nowaki said while turned on his side, already in his pajamas, watching his lover intently.

When he felt large blue eyes boring into his back, Hiroki turned around. "Don't stare at me, perv!"

Nowaki smiled. "But Hiro-san is so sexy!"

Hiroki rolled his eyes and finished pulling up his pajama pants, Nowaki's old black t-shirt still in his hands. "Nowaki…"

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"…I'm cold."

Nowaki smiled again and crawled over on his hands and knees over to Hiroki, scooping him up into his warm embrace. "Better?" he asked, kissing the tip of Hiroki's ear.

"Mm…" Hiroki hummed, turning his neck around as far as he could to look back at Nowaki.

"Can we get in the bath?" Nowaki asked hopefully, eyeing the large Jacuzzi tub in the connected bathroom.

"I guess," Hiroki shrugged, dropping the shirt onto the floor.

Nowaki released him momentarily, scrambling off the bed as quickly as possible. He grabbed Hiroki's hand and dragged him into the bathroom, throwing off his own t-shirt on the way.

After turning on the hot water and making sure it was the right temperature, Nowaki stepped away and let the tub fill. He directed his attention to Hiroki, wrapping his arms around him once again and smiling as Hiroki tucked his chin up in a silent request for a kiss. Nowaki only happily complied, not wasting anytime in slipping his tongue into Hiroki's mouth, or sliding his hand down the back of his pajama pants.

Hiroki let out a muffled moan as they kissed, helping Nowaki push down his bottoms and underwear. They got to work on undoing Nowaki's pants as well, and in less then a minute they were both naked and wholly exposed.

When the tub was almost full, Nowaki gently pulled away. He reached behind them and shut off the tap, turning away and slowly climbing into the piping hot water.

Once he was situated, Nowaki reached out, offering Hiroki a hand.

Hiroki averted his gaze with a blush, but took Nowaki's hand, carefully stepping in around him and settling into the warmth. Hiroki was content where he was at, on the other side with their legs overlapping each other, but Nowaki had other plans; cautiously pulling Hiroki onto his lap and letting the older man lean against him like a chair.

They lay like that for a while, not speaking, just content to sit in each other's company and enjoy the warm water.

It wasn't until Hiroki had almost fallen asleep like that when he felt something hard nudge his backside. "Nowaki…" he growled, annoyed that Nowaki had disturbed his sleep, even if it was unintentional. "Your hard-on is poking me."

Nowaki laughed softly, feigning embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san." He tentively slid one of his hands down Hiroki's stomach, pressing against the growing arousal below his waist. "But you're hard, too."

"Yeah, but I wasn't until you woke me up with that thing!"

Nowaki pressed his smiling lips into the smooth curve where Hiroki's shoulder and neck met. "Did you get hard because of that?" he asked, voice slightly muffled by soft skin.

"Hah, no," Hiroki lied, quite terribly. His voice had decided to raise a pitch on him.

"You sure?" Nowaki teased, beginning to stroke the completely hardened shaft.

"Y-yes," Hiroki stuttered, his breath accidentally hitching at how good Nowaki's hand felt on him.

While his hand did a number on Hiroki's throbbing member, Nowaki's opposite hand came up and began molesting the brunet's chest, tweaking his rosy, erect nipples and grazing over his taut stomach. Even the smallest brushes of Nowaki's gentle fingertips sent electric sparks of desire zipping down Hiroki's spine.

"Nngh, Nowaki," Hiroki gasped, arching his back with a muffled cry as he released into Nowaki's waiting palm.

Nowaki let Hiroki cool down for several moments, allowing him to catch his breath while he rubbed his lover's thighs and torso.

"Turn around," Nowaki requested a few minutes later, after Hiroki's breathing had mellowed out. He hoisting up Hiroki's hips to help him revolve around, and Hiroki was too relaxed with afterglow to put up much of a fight.

When Hiroki was up on his knees and straddling him, Nowaki leaned in and kissed him again. One of Nowaki's hands came up and brushed a nipple, causing Hiroki to let out a small moan, never breaking the kiss. Keeping one hand on Nowaki's shoulder for balance, Hiroki bashfully reached down between them and teased the head of Nowaki's cock with his palm, drawing his fingers over the hard organ again and again.

A few excruciatingly pleasurable minutes of teasing later, they both pulled apart, succumbing to the need for oxygen. The hand that Nowaki had previously been teasing Hiroki's nipples with came up and cupped Hiroki chin, before pressing two fingers to his lips.

Reluctantly, Hiroki parted his lips around them and sucked along the knuckles greedily, knowing exactly what Nowaki was planning on doing with them. Nowaki slipped his fingers out after he felt Hiroki had lubed them up enough, reaching around and pressing them against Hiroki's puckered hole.

Hiroki sucked in a harsh breath as his body accepted one hasty digit. Nowaki bent and wriggled his finger almost impatiently, at the same moment leaning forward and placing soft kisses along Hiroki's throat. Hiroki tangled his fingers in the younger man's soft, wet hair, throwing his head back with a grunt as Nowaki crooked his finger and poked his prostate.

Nowaki slipped in another finger, stretching him more confidently now. When a third finger was finally added, Hiroki hunched forward, pressing his mouth against Nowaki's shoulder with a soft whimper. He nodded.

Taking the signal that Hiroki was ready, Nowaki scooted his lover's hips forward, until his dick was settled up against Hiroki's entrance. Nowaki took some of Hiroki's weight with his hands, and without the benefit of much lubrication, he helped lower Hiroki down onto his thick length.

But Hiroki didn't seem to be in too much pain despite the lack of lube, especially not when he began excitedly raising and lowering himself on Nowaki's dick, using his shoulders as support. Nowaki looked up, smiling in rapture as he watched the lithe, petite body atop his lap ride him.

Hiroki was exceptionally assertive tonight, mostly taking control of their love making and dominating their kisses. Nowaki couldn't get enough of it. Since he never knew when Hiroki would decide to be this candid again, he savored every lasting moment of it. He was never really sure what led him to it—though he had a good feeling that tonight, alcohol had played a large role in that decision.

"Mm, Nowaki," Hiroki sighed, slowing down his movements to savor the rush of sensation.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki began thrusting up into Hiroki's warm recesses, desperately seeking completion.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki cried as Nowaki drove up inside him, brushing directly against his prostate. Nowaki brought one hand that had been holding Hiroki forward, stroking his tender, erect penis. "No, not yet, Nowaki!"

"Yes, now," Nowaki pleaded, stroking Hiroki faster.

"Ah, Nowaki!" Hiroki threw his head back, finding completion with a few high, raspy pants and moans, his seed spilling into Nowaki's hand. In the same moment, Nowaki moaned into his own explosive climax after drilling upwards into Hiroki a couple more times.

Hiroki panted heavily for a few moments, resting against Nowaki. Carefully, he pushed himself up on his knees, crying out as their bodies slid apart. He ignored the slight embarrassment and lingering traces of pleasure as he collapsed back down on Nowaki's large, warm body.

Nowaki pressed his nose into Hiroki's hair, absentmindedly stroking the brunet locks with his wet hands. "I love you, Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered, closing his eyes and kissing the top of Hiroki's head.

"Mm…" Hiroki practically purred, basking in the loving attention from Nowaki. "I love you, too," Hiroki whispered, barely able to hear it himself.

Nowaki heard it nonetheless, though, and squeezed Hiroki tighter in return.

**END**

**X X X**

**Okay, I just got a really, REALLY critical review (it was more like nasty scolding about my writing rather than "critique") and I'm pissed. The reviewer said that, in my last fic—Flavors of Christmas—I didn't write Hiroki or Nowaki in character at all (they were drunk the entire fic…I DO NOT KNOW HOW PEOPE, LET ALONE THEM, ACT WHILE DRUNK…) and they also said that the little Japanese I used was unnecessary/just sounded weird. **

**So, look, if I write them out of character again or if the Japanese I used (I use Japanese terms & facts to make the fic seem more plausible…) was confusing/overbearing/out of place, don't hesitate to tell me; I love hearing constructive feedback from readers, but don't be rude like this person was. Their review alone turned a previously very happy birthday into a shitty one, because their review pissed me off that much. So, even if you have to leave a bad review, at least be nice about it; that's all I ask. **


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